Page 46 of Hysteria Rises
I don’t have a fucking clue how far I can trust Cross, and really, it goes against everything that’s been ingrained in me these last three years to do anything that might be perceived as going against the teachings of the Collective. We are to honor, follow, nourish our bodies and souls… and kneel before them.
“I found it.” I stop to eye him, wondering if this is such a good idea after all. “We don’t have to discuss every minor detail. You sure you’re with me? Stealing from our fathers’ private stash of liquor could result in a swift and brutal punishment.”
Our gazes crash together and hold. For a few seconds, I think he might tell me to get fucked, but then he quietly grits out. “Oh, of that I have zero doubt. But fuck. We’ve gotta do something.”
Surprised, I smirk at him. I’ve been agreeing to the Collective’s ways for years. “Nowhere is it written that we have to lose sleep over someone else’s mistake.” My teeth grind, feeling Cross’s irritation with my statement. I hold up a hand. “Not that I really view what Arrow did as wrong.”
The tension in his body lessens and he shakes his head. “No. Arrow’s mistake was getting caught, and we’re not gonna get caught.”
Mildly impressed, both by his thought process andbravado, I shoot him a half grin and point toward the kitchen area before creeping forward. He follows directly behind me. The entire compound appears to be asleep, but if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that there’s bound to be a surprise around every fucking corner. The last thing we’d need is one of the Collective to be awake.
Just then, there’s a clatter. The whisper of voices. Women’s voices. I stop abruptly, and Cross plows into me from behind, the impact of his hard body throwing me off balance. A soft grunt falls from his lips, and he grabs hold of my arms, tugging me upright before I have a chance to stumble. We stay like that for several beats, doing nothing more than listening and breathing.
And then, fire races down my spine, but stupidly, it takes me a second to recognize why. The hard line of Cross’s cock is at my back, stiffening more with each passing second. My dick twitches in response, and I jerk free to face him, forcing my features to display my loathing. Throwing my arms out from my sides, I glare at him and spit, “The fuck.”
Like an angry bull, he charges forward and shoves me against the wall, pinning me there with a firm hand to each shoulder.
I growl, grasping his biceps and yanking downward. “Quit being a dick. I’m trying to help Arrow, and you’re fucking around.”
A moment later, the fucker slams his body to mine, pressing hard. Despite being nearly his size, Ichoose not to struggle. Instead, I stare into his glittering eyes as he lets what I’ve said roll around in his mind. Then, the bastard chuckles quietly. “No idea why you’d change your tune now.”
My brow arches as I stare him down. “Funny, but it seems like you’re after something other than helping your buddy.” Motherfucker. He’s too close. The clean scent of his soap infiltrates my nostrils, and I have no choice. I breathe him in. My exhale heaves from me as my body riots, a flash of heat burning its way along my limbs. I shift and my hard dick slides against his through our pants, and I can’t fucking process another thought beyond the rush of blood pounding in my ears. I shift, grimacing as I make an attempt at reining my body in before it betrays me any further. “Goddammit, get the fuck off me,” I hiss as I push at him again. “Keep it up and I’ll mention this to the Collective.” It’s a low blow to threaten him with that, but I’m not willing to admit anything about the thoughts that go through my head when he’s around. I’m not ready.
I fucking wonder what his deal is. He’s lived here his entire life, and if there was ever an answer as to whether sexual preference is something inherent at birth, Cross’s actions make it glaringly obvious. He’s been raised in a society where homosexuality isn’t even discussed. And the breeding of women is of the utmost importance, so his apparent attraction to me is telling. The hell of it is, somewhere along the way he’s picked up on my curiosity, too.
Before I can think too much more on it, his teeth scrape over his full bottom lip, entrancing me. He then slowly licks it, leaving a glossy, wet stripe on his skin before he murmurs, “If you think I don’t see how you watch me, you’d be fuckin’ wrong. So keep right on lying to yourself.” With that, he slowly thrusts against me, sending my head spinning like I’m on a fucking amusement park ride. I’m close to losing control and yanking him against me. When he backs up, shrugging like he doesn’t have a fucking care in the world, he readjusts his dick as he gestures at the entrance to the gathering room. “Now where the fuck is this liquor? Is it in there?”
Glad that the dark hallway disguises the heat in my face and the way my hard-on is trying to punch through my pants, I grind out, “Fuck you,” then heave out a sigh. “Yes.” Figuring out how to deal with Cross is not my priority.
A few moments later, we find the room empty and slip inside. I pause, staring at the exact location where I fucked our newest woman—our goddamn captive—but then Cross’s hand comes down on my shoulder. “It doesn’t do any good to agonize over it.” My eyes flick to his, and he exhales sharply. “We’re doing what we can for who we can. Even though I see theregret in your eyes … we can’t fucking help her right now.”
He’s right. And that reassurance spurs me into action. I stride to the cabinet at the side of the couch where I discovered the stash of bourbon ages ago and pray like hell it’s still there. It is. But there are several more bottles. We don’t even need all of it.
“Holy shit,” Cross grumbles as I stand up, two bottles sloshing with a dark liquid, one in each hand.
“Right? I had no idea they had this stashed here. But then I kinda stumbled on it.” I gesture to the cabinet with a tilt of my chin. “There are several more bottles. What do you think? Do we take just one with us for now?” My lips purse, eyeing him steadily as I wait for his response. I’m slightly nervous. There’s nothing stopping him from telling Nolan that he caught me in here drinking this shit if he wanted to be a dick about it.
A low whistle blows past Cross’s lips. “Well, we need a plan because I think they’ll notice anything that goes missing. But it’s pretty clear someone does partake. The bottles are both open and half-empty.”
“Scared?” I shrug, then raise a brow in challenge.
“Nope.” Cross’s lips twist and this cunning smile spreads across them. “Once we’ve checked on Twenty-three, I think we should take a bottle upstairs with us, then once Arrow has enough to help take the edge off, we replace the missing bourbon with water. Then before anyone is the wiser, we can put the bottle we swiped back.”
I pause for a moment to mull over his proposed plan. “Fuck me. That could work. It’d be less potent, but I think we could get away with it.”
“Willing to risk it?”
“Hell yeah, if it gets us some sleep.”
“Good. Then let’s go look in on the Disturbance.”
Not certain I’m following, I tilt my head to the side. “It’s late. Are you referring to Twenty-three?”
“Uh, yeah.” He shakes his head with a shrug. “That’s what she is. The Disturbance. Or Fury, if you’d rather. She’s like a temperamental thunderstorm wreaking havoc on this whole compound.”
He’s not entirely wrong. She’s been Spitfire to me for a while now. “I kinda hate that her spunk has all but disappeared since that night in the gathering room. She’s withdrawn,” I mutter, taking a deep breath. “But I can’t blame her.” Cross doesn’t argue, simply nods his agreement.
And with that, we take off, stealthily making our way to the cellar. Downstairs, the only person we encounter is Twenty-two. No idea who we heard talking earlier, but this one’s taken to pacing at night, so I’ve run into her pretty often lately. She doesn’t look up when we appear, but that’s for the best because we have nowhere to hide the bottle we’re smuggling—I should have thought to bring a bag to hide it in.
